Mexican Banana Bread (Pan de Platano)

So these plantains are taking fuh-ever and a day to ripen.. I would have waited til they were mostly blackened but I got all antsy in my pantsy and went ahead and made my Plantain Bread anyways..
I happen to think it turned out well for being a first run and it was fun putting together some flavor combos for compound cream cheeses to accompany said plantain bread. Mmm…

Mexican Banana Bread (Pan de Platano)

2 c. AP Flour
1 t. ea. :
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Salt
Cinnamon
2 Ripe/Over-ripe Plantains - diced small
1 c. Brown Sugar
1 stick Unsalted Buttah - room temperature
2 Eggs
1 T. Bacardi Solera Rum
1 t. Mexican Vanilla Extract
1 t. Cider Vinegar

~ Preheat oven to 325*F and prep a loaf pan by greasing and flouring.
~ Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Set aside
~ In a mixer, cream together sugar and butter 2 minutes - til fluffy.
Add in eggs one at a time. Add in rum, vanilla and vinegar. Mix in
flour until just combined.
~ Fold in, by hand, the diced plantains. Pour batter into prepped loaf
pan and bake for 1 hr - 1 hr 10 min until a knife inserted comes out
clean. Let cool then unmold and slice. Spread on butter or a flavored
cream cheese (like the ones to follow). Enjoy :)


I forgot the eggs here so just imagine I added them 
How I prep a plantain (whose skins can be thick and may take some finangaling to get off)
Trim ends

They are long so, cut in half and score the skin longwise. Make sections if you must, but this plantain was easy to peel.


Oh God.. working has turned my hands into wrinkly old lady hands.. 
Err.. back on track.. Yeah, dice these up. After having tasted the end product, I would dice this much smaller than I did here – since plantains are more solid and starchy than bananas.



And through the magic of television… Voila!


I did 4 different combinations of flavored cream cheese to have with this plantain loaf. Get creative, add your own nuts/spices/extracts/oils/herbs/zests/juices (you get the idea  ).

Pepitas y Canela Creamcheese (Pumpkin seeds & Cinnamon)
8 oz. Cream Cheese
1 t. Ground Cinnamon
2 T. Powdered Sugar
2 T. Chopped Pumpkin Seeds
~ Mix creamcheese, cinnamon and 10x sugar with an electric mixer. Fold in pumpkin seeds.

Nuez el Clavo Creamcheese (Pecans & Clove)
8 oz. Cream Cheese
2T. Powdered Sugar
¼ t. Ground Cloves
¼ t. Vanilla Extract
2 T. Chopped Pecans – toasted
~ Mix creamcheese, ground clove, extract and 10x sugar with an electric mixer. Fold in pecans.

Cocoa Chile Creamcheese
8 oz. Cream Cheese
½ t. Ancho Chile Powder
1 T. Cocoa Powder
2 T. Powdered Sugar
¼ t. Vanilla Extract or Rum
~ Mix creamcheese, chile powder, cocoa powder, extract and 10x sugar with an electric mixer.

Mojito Creamcheese
8 oz. Cream Cheese
2 T. Powdered Sugar
Few drops of Lime Oil
1 T. Fresh Mint – minced
~ Mix creamcheese, 10x sugar and lime oil with an electric mixer. Fold in minced mint. Serve soon after making.



Mexican Vanilla from Nielsen-Massey – Some of the best stuff on the market. I get mine through either King Arthur Flour or Williams Sonoma


I got this Boyajian Lime Oil from King Arthur Flour too. A 1 oz. bottle has the equivalent of like 80 limes or some crazy mess like that. So use sparingly!

Psst! I also added a smidge of this. Not too much, don’t want the cream cheese to be soupy and yuckers.



Ugh, and with that.. Goodnight! 

Orange Chipotle Carnitas

Sheesh! It’s been a bit of a break since my last post but alas, I am back with another. I was trying out a vegetarian “fast” of sorts for a few days but am now back to carnivor-ism ☺ I had already made this dish a few weeks ago but didn’t do one of the steps that really and truly make it what it is. Any traditional-styled carnitas cannot begin to be deemed traditional if it is not fried in fat ☺. TRADITIONAL traditional carnitas (“little meats”) are fried in lard after being roasted or braised in the cook’s choices of liquid and spices. Outside of the flavor, the most crucial thing about carnitas that make them so weak-in-the-knees yummy is their texture.. melt-in-your-mouth tender yet crispy and caramelized.

You can simplify this kind of dish by skipping the frying as an afterthought and go straight to braising the meat IN melted lard and then finishing by cranking the heat so the meat crisps up. Shred and enjoy.

My Orange Chipotle Carnitas

3# Pork Shoulder/Butt – cut into 4 manageable peices
3 canned Chipotle chiles + 3 T. Adobo sauce
2 Oranges – zested & juiced
2 cloves Garlic – peeled
2-3 T. Lard or Shortening

~ In a food processor, combine chipotles, adobo, zest, juice and garlic – process til well combined.

~ Lay pieces of pork in a medium sized crockpot – pour orange chipotle mixture on top of meat and let cook on low for about 8 hrs (or dutchoven @ 300*F for 3 ½ - 4 hrs).

~ Remove meat from liquid (set liquid aside). Shred meat with a fork or by hand and set aside.

~ In a large sauté pan, heat left over liquid to a simmer & let reduce for about 5 minutes. Add shredded meat to the pan and toss to coat meat in the liquid. Let the meat brown for a minute before tossing a few more times until there is barely any liquid left in the pan and the meat is uniformly browned. Serve warm with desired accompaniments.

Accompaniments:
Warmed corn tortillas
Sliced onions
Diced tomatoes
Chopped Cilantro
Sliced Avocado
Sliced Radishes
Sour Cream
Rice
Refried Beans




I used an extra orange (clementine) here for shits’n’giggles – who knows if it actually imparts more flavor? Lol

See all the leftover liquid? A mix of rendered fat from the meat and the orange/chipotle liquids

Shredded meat

Rendered liquid reduc.


Finished “frying”

Heating my tortillas for tacos – Double the comal , double the fun!




So that’s that. So simple. So satisfying.. You may see recipes out there that call for coke or pepsi, etc. I believe they even use soda for carnitas in mexico! Those are alright but I’ve made it that way and it produces a very sweet meat – something I didn’t much care for as a taco filler. (And that’s SUPER weird coming from me, the gal with the insatiable sweet tooth). I find the orange juice lends juuuust enough sweetness and won’t overpower any kind of chili/spice you put in there. I’ve seen a recipe floating around online that uses pineapple juice and soysauce, smh. Just say NO yall..


Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnitas
http://www.epicurious.com/tools/fooddictionary/search?query=carnitas&submit.x=0&submit.y=0&submit=submit

Raspberry Chipotle Lamb Chops w/Cilantro Lime Couscous

In honor of my great love for "sweet dinners" and piquant Mexican flavors, I've decided to do a 3 part blog on dishes using a fruit/chipotle flavor coupling. First in my series is a Mexican/North African fusion of Raspberry Chipotle Lamb Chops with Cilantro-Lime Couscous. I had found a delectably robust raspberry/chipotle barbecue sauce in the Sultan Center many months back and paired it with Lamb Chops (one of my husband's favorites). It came out so exquisite that I told myself I should try a “from-scratch” version of my own someday. With the abundance of canned chipotles stocked up in all markets here, I figured someday should be today..

Raspberry Chipotle Lamb Chops

2 dz Lamb Chops ½ in. thick – frenched
1 bag frozen Raspberries - thawed (or 2 cups fresh if you can afford/find them)
4 canned Chipotle peppers + 1 ½ T. Adobo sauce
1/3 c. Raspberry Vinegar (or red wine or a flavored balsamic works well too)
2/3 c. Vegetable Oil
2 T. Brown Sugar
2 cloves Garlic
Salt TT

~ In a blender, combine all ingredients aside from the chops (I remove the hot seeds from the peppers when cooking for the kids - otherwise the kick is rawther nice). Puree til smooth.

~ Divide chops between 2 large ziploc baggies or place them in a large container so that they can be arranged in a single layer. Divide puree between the 2 bags or coat the single layer of chops and cover with clingwrap. Set in the fridge to marinate overnight. (When ready to cook, grilling will be the best option but you may also use an indoor griddle or a cast iron pan. Ensure whatever you'll be using is screaming hot, in order to get a good sear).

~ Preheat oven to 350*F – On a white hot cooking surface, sear chops for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Season with salt, place chops in an oven-safe dish and slide into your preheated oven for 8-12 minutes until desired doneness (I like most of my meats on the medium side so around 8 min for me, longer for the kids obviously).

Serves 4-6


Cilantro Lime Couscous

1 ½ c. Quick cooking Couscous
2 ¼ c. Water
1 Lime – zested and juiced
½ c. Cilantro – chopped
1 T. Olive Oil
Salt TT

~ In a medium sauce pan bring water and lime juice to a boil then turn off heat – add couscous to the pot and cover. Let stand for 5 minutes to let the couscous absorb all the liquid,

~ Fluff couscous with a fork and mix in cilantro, lime zest, olive oil and salt. Serve in a warm dish.


Mise – don’t forget the garlic cloves. I did and I know they would have made the marinade that much better.


Frenched/French-style simply means that the rib bones have been scraped clean

That sauce came out smooth – who knew a cheap black & decker blender could be so craptastic and so good @ the same time (R.I.P my beloved red beehive Oster)



It’s too hot out to grill and I just wanted to get dinner done so I didn’t bother doing batches on my griddler. Cast iron it was!



Couscous mise


And eet is done!



The sauce didn't come out looking anything like the bottled one I had bought, and was less intense on the heat and sweetness but this recipe still made for a nice juicy chop.. The kids went YUM for them!



Chipotle Peppers

Chipotles are a traditional Mexican ingredient that is wildly popular in the US, especially the southwestern region that has easier access to the good stuff. Majority of us know their spicy smoky goodness, and we know that they’re peppers, but not everyone I’ve met seems to know that they are the smoked & dried version of jalapeños. (Jalapeños are medium sized chilies (2-3 ½ in.), ranging in color from deep green to bright red and have a medium spicy heat (2500-8000 SHU) according to the Scoville scale).

The ancient Aztec peoples would smoke-dry jalapeños because traditional sun-drying would take too long to thoroughly dry the thick-skinned pepper before it rotted. The drying process has little effect on the heat of the chili.

The product most US consumers are familiar with is the chipotle morita – morita, meaning “little blackberry”, is a description of the black/dark-red/purple dried jalapeño that is produced in the Mexican state Chihuahua.


Most Mexican consumers use chipotle meco (a.k.a ahumado, tipico), produced in south-central Mexico. These dried chilies resemble cigar butts, are tannish-grey in color and have a smokier flavor than their US preferred counterpart. It is known as the “authentic” chipotle pepper.


*Side note, I tried getting a definition on “meco” out of the husband. He thought I was asking about “mecco”, which I won’t even mention the definition here but it was funny. Worth a mench.*

Chipotles are sold either in whole dried form, ground into powder, pickled, as a paste or canned in adobo sauce. They can be used in numerous ways – in salsas/sauces, rubs, salts, marinades, soups/stews and even in some creative desserts for those willing to step outside of their preconceived sweet comfort zone.

..More to follow :)

Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipotle
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Articles/Chiles-1024/chipotle.aspx
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-chipotle-pepper.htm

Mexican Potato Salad

Months ago, I'd made a “mexican” potato salad to bring to a friend's BBQ. My husband, who likes to share my blog with his co-workers, told me that someone who had attended that BBQ had asked if I'd put the recipe up on my blog. I was so pleased that someone had remembered my cooking so well that I thought the occasion deserved an entry :)

I thought I was so slick, dreaming up a “mexican” rift of potato salad. I googled it as soon as I'd thought it up and not surprisingly, I was not the first person to ever stumble upon the notion (I get that alot). However, I had something punchier in mind. Most recipes I saw included use of pickled jalepenos (blech!), carrots, peas (wtf over?). I wanted big mexican flavors but still wanted cool tangy creaminess. Behold!

Mexican Potato Salad

3# Red Bliss Potatoes (or any other thin skinned potato you prefer, yukon golds are always a favorite alternative)
1 c. Sour Cream
½ c. Mayonaise
2 Chipotle Peppers - seeds scraped out & minced + 1 T. of the canned adobo sauce
1 Lime – zested & juiced
1/2 of a Chayote – small dice (cut out & discard the pit/seed)
1 small Red Onion – small dice
2 ribs Celery – small dice
Sea Salt – To Taste
½ c. Cilantro - chopped
Apple Cider Vinegar (for taste adjustment)

~ Pick potatoes of the same general size. Scrub clean. Place in a large pot and fill with water to cover. Bring water to a boil, then bring to a simmer and cook potatoes for 15 minutes or until barely fork tender. Drain potatoes in a colander, then cover with a clean kitchen towel so the potatoes continue to steam and cook (for 20-30 more minutes)

~ Meanwhile, dice the celery, onion and chayote

~ After the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into 1 in. cubes. In a large bowl, combine potatoes with the sourcream, mayo, chipotle + adobo, lime, diced vegetables and large pinch of salt. Mix til combined. Taste and add more salt and acid accordingly. Cover and place in the fridge at least 3-4 hours.

~ Just before you plan on serving, toss in chopped cilantro and mix


Ta da! Wasn't that fast?? Haha, how exciting is the process of potato salad making?


What would take this potato salad up to another level would be some diced dried chorizo! I sorely wish I had some on hand and am pretty sure I had put it in my original concoction when I had some in my pantry stores. If you can't seem to find any good quality chorizo in any of the markets in your area, I highly suggest a special order from tienda.com. These people KNOW their chorizo and have umpteen varieties to choose from, including different kinds of fresh.

Now comes the section where I research the most obscure ingredient in my recipe list, should there be one that is not too common. I suppose in this instance, that would be the chayote.. FUN! 

Chayote is the Spanish version of a Nahuatl [Aztec] word “chayotli”. It is a green, pear shaped plant belonging to the gourd family. It is often labeled “Chayote Squash” in supermarkets but I see there is some debate as to whether that is botanically correct. I searched for a good hour to differentiate between gourd and squash and basically what it seems to boil down to is that all squash are gourds but gourds are not always squash.. or some such bullshit.. 

Moving along.. Chayotes are a rather bland, yet still nutritionally lucrative fruit that was first cultivated in Mexico and Central America. The entire plant is edible; from it’s roots to its leaves and shoots. It is rich in amino acids and Vitamin C and can be eaten both raw and cooked (boiled, sautéed, mashed) although is best prepared heavy on the seasonings.

Personally, I rather like it raw and enjoy mine in salads. It has the firm starchy texture of a potato or water chestnut and tastes much like cucumber or aloe. The seed in the middle IS edible but most people cut it out and discard it, as it’s a bit tough. Look it up on youtube for some preparations and try it! 

Source(s):
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Articles/Produce-638/chayote.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chayote
http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/vegetables/a/squash.htm

Pozole Rojo

Now this is closer to the version I’ve long known to be pozole. I would say it’s really non-fuss but I hate straining the chile puree. But in just a few relatively uncomplicated processes, you can bring forth history in a pot.

Its the stuff that ancient Aztec kings feasted on for special occasions (but you know.. like, sans the left over meat from your human sacrifices - cause like Willy Wonka says, “that is called cannibalism my dear children, and is in fact frowned upon in most societies”).

I checked into what my “Savoring Mexico” book had to say on red pozole and found a version the author took from a friend that resides in the state of Sinaloa. Her recipe used all manner of pig from the ribs to the feet to the head (of which the ears are a delicacy). Pig head is hard to come by in the commissary so pork shoulder will do me just fine and isn’t really a deviation at all, traditionally speaking.

I mentioned before that pozole can differ a bit from state to state but you can find any mix of preparations anywhere you turn. I’ve mapped out a few of the states that are known more for one addition or another. (My Mother In Law is from Guerrero – which is why I’m surprised I’ve never seen her serve Pozole Verde, for which they are known. She’s hiding secret recipes from me! lol)




Pozole Rojo

4 qt Water
2# Pork Shoulder – fat trimmed and cut into large chunks
1-2 Heads Garlic – tops trimmed off and papery skin removed
1 Onion – peeled but left whole
½# Dried Chiles (Ancho/Pasilla or Guajillo or preferably a mix for more complexity)
- de-stemmed and de-seeded
4 c. Hot Water
2 corn tortillas – flash fried & torn into small pieces
2 lg cans Hominy
1 T. Mexican Oregano
1 Sprig Epazote
Sea Salt

~ In a large stockpot put on water, pork shoulder, garlic head(s) and onion to a simmer and continue this way for at least 2 hours. Remove solids when this time is up, setting aside the meat for shredding. Skim the fat and other little extra bits off the broth
~ In the meantime, prep the chiles by trimming the stem off with kitchen shears, cutting the pod open and scraping out the seeds – from here you can either place chilies in a large bowl and cover with hot water or put them in a stockpot with water and bring to a boil. Steep the chilies in hot water for an hour
~ Put chilies in a blender along with the onion and garlic from the pork broth (squeeze the garlic out from the skins) and the bits of fried tortillas. Blend with 1 c. of chile steeping water to make a puree. Strain this puree through a fine mesh sieve and add to the stockpot of broth
~ Add shredded pork, hominy, oregano and epazote to the pot and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and serve hot with favorite condiments.

Mise


As I said, I used 2 different chiles for added depth to the stock. The slender smooth skinned one is a guajillo and is very common for use in mild salsas. The wrinkled one is an ancho (also falsely called an pasilla by some Americans – anchos are dried poblanos where pasillas are dried chile negros – both are similar in heat and have sweet raisin-esque qualities when in dried (seco) form)


Very simple to de-seed. Just trim the top off and run your shears along one of the folded edges and open the chile pod like a book.



After steeping, nicely reconstituted and color is perked back up


Here is where the elbow grease comes in, but it isn’t all that bad. Just strain the chile puree through a fine sieve until all you’re left with is a lump of bits in your strainer and a bowl of nice smooooth sauce



Guajillos aren’t terribly hot on their own so if you want heat in your soup I suggest adding a spicier pepper, like a chile de arbol or serrano, to the puree mix.

Now the chile salsa is added to the pot along with the hominy and shredded pork - all this is left to simmer, reduce and meld



Showing the viscocity of the soup – a bit thicker than I bargained for but it wasn’t a bad thing at all. Add more water to you pot if you want it really brothy.


Now that’s good eating!



And that would be my gringo attempt at pozole, which serves this family just fine. Besides, I don’t think I’m not far off. I seldom make this soup due not only to the dread of cleaning my sieve but also the lack of ethnic ingredients required and that are mostly never in stock on Kuwait supermarket shelves. It was good though that I had decided to make en entry on it and research the background of the dish a bit more. Food’s synergetic history and undertones never cease to amaze me.

So do me a favor one leisurely weekend and busy yourself with creating a pot of this fantastic brew – and pay never-no-mind to the Aztec/Willy Wonka quip as you do so :D Oh! And be sure to include the radishes! They might look strange to the American palate to have in a soup but they truly are a perfect condiment!

Source(s):
http://www.explorandomexico.com/about-mexico/5/212/
http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/2408-red-white-or-green-warm-up-the-winter-with-pozole
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/howtocook/cuisines/oaxacan
Savoring Mexico pg. 92 – Marilyn Tausend